s (fixed indexed annuities) These annuities are guaranteed income and based on the rule of 72 you should double your money every 8 to 12 years depending on the market.

Following is more information regarding the solo 401(k) and the IRA LLC.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k SimilaritiesBoth were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions;Both are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m)The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (IRA LLC)   must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2017, the solo 401k contribution limit is $54,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

An annuity is also an insurance product, not an investment.

"I've counseled clients in the exact same situation in Pennsylvania on the proper steps to comply with the 5 year look-back penalty under Medicaid rules using a gifting and Medicaid compliant annuity strategy.

I like comparing a Private First Mortgage Investment with an annuity, give a chunky big deposit and a receive a payout cash flow over time.Better than owning a Rental?

Paid off houses end up being a great annuity.

If your buyer refinances, there goes your annuity!

When things are good and the money is just being deposited in your account it can feel like an annuity.  

Here are the numbers. 10 HousesAsking price: $269,000(These are numbers he gave me) Gross monthly rent: $4,524Annual gross rent: $59,388Taxes: $4,640.54Insurance: $4,168.00Total of Annual expenses: $8,808.54NOI: $50,579.46 ------------------------Loan with bank portfolio lender: -20 year commercial loan -No balloon payment -Interest rate: 4.75% -Interest barring every 5 years at a 2% cap on interest rates -20% down payment ($53,980) -Estimated monthly payment: $1754-Annual amortization $21,048----- it may be worth noting that we have $20,000 cash for this but will have to take the other $30,000 out of my husbands annuity retirement account which would inevitably lower the cash flow for us personally but we haven't called the financial planner to see what those payments look like.

I want to own my house before risking any money in investments like annuities, 401(k)s, buying rental properties, or flipping houses.